Regretfully, Arden
by stateofbecca
Summary: Arden regrets rejecting Rain. Will she win him back? Rain/Arden.
1. Prologue

**Woo! My second _Naturally Sadie_ fanfic! This one is Rain/Arden. It takes place after the episode _English Patience_, which, coincidentally, is the episode after the one my last fic was based off of! Weird, right?**

**Anyways, this is dedicated to GilbertDrone328, who requested a Rain/Arden fic. I hope you like it! (And that you still read it, since it's been like a billion and one years since you requested it.)  
**

**This is just the prologue. I have this and the first chapter finished. :)  
**

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She had to go see him.

She had to go see him. She couldn't take it anymore. For three days, his words played over and over in her head. "It's your loss," he said, and she knew he was right. It was eating away at her, and she had to go and make things right.

"She" was Arden Alcott; pretty, popular, and smart. "He" was Rain Papadakis; goofy, clumsy, and awkward. Their social circles were nothing alike, but when the two of them were together, there was undeniable chemistry. Somehow, beyond the ties of the status quo, Arden found herself falling for Rain. She kissed him when they were alone, and for that moment, it didn't matter how different they were. She liked him. He adored her. It was that simple.

Until the next day at school, of course. As Rain approached Arden when she was with her friends, it was clear that Arden had to make a choice. If she chose to acknowledge Rain, she would lose her friends and the popularity she had always known. If she chose her friends, she might be ruining a relationship with a lot of potential.

As a spur-of-the-moment choice, Arden chose to keep her popularity intact. It took her about three more seconds before she realized she had made the wrong choice.

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**Since I haven't written the whole fic, updates will be sporadic. Chances are, though, the more reviews I get, the more motivation I'll have to write! :P **


	2. Apology

**Chapter One. Start of the actual plot! :)**

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Arden woke up early on Saturday morning and headed to the Acropolis Wow

Arden woke up early on Saturday morning and headed to the Acropolis Wow. She knew she would find Rain working there; she just hoped he wasn't too busy (or angry) to hear her apology.

She sat down at the counter, waiting. She heard someone emerge from the kitchen, but was disappointed when she saw that it was Fred, not Rain.

"Ah, Silver Spoon," he said. "Looking to cause some more food fights?"

"No," Arden replied. "Actually, I'm here looking for Rain."

"Sorry, kid. Nothing but sun and clouds today." Arden got up to leave. "Relax, Silver Spoon! It was just a joke." Arden sat back down.

"Puggle! Silver Spoon is here to see you!" Fred yelled into the kitchen.

"I'm pretty busy in here, Fred!" Rain shouted back.

Arden got up to leave again. "I'll come back later," she said.

Fred glared at her. "Sit down. I'll handle this." So, Arden sat down again. Fred disappeared into the kitchen.

A moment later, Rain flew through the doors, with the appearance that he had been pushed. Arden smiled at him. Rain said formally, "Welcome to the Acropolis Wow. May I take your order?"

Arden's smile vanished. "Rain, I came here to apologize."

"For what? For rejecting me in front of your friends? For ditching me because I'm not cool enough for you? Well, I'll tell you what. Apology NOT accepted."

Arden was quiet. She knew she didn't deserve Rain's forgiveness.

"Well, if you have nothing to say, and you aren't going to order anything, I think you should leave." Ouch. Arden had never seen Rain act so coldly to anyone.

"I do have something to say," Arden said. "I just don't know how to word it so that you'll believe me and forgive me." Rain didn't speak. He just looked at Arden expectantly.

"The thing is," Arden started, "following my heart has never been easy for me. I've always done what is expected of me instead of what I really want. I feel like because I wear certain clothes and have certain friends, I'm under pressure to do exactly what they want, and be exactly who they want me to be. If I had followed my heart from the start, I would have chosen you, honestly. I just reacted wrong in the moment, and I've been regretting it ever since those words spilled out of my mouth."

Rain looked down. Arden could see his expression softening. "I think I understand what you're saying," he said.

Arden perked up a little bit. "Really?"

Rain nodded. "I think so, but you need to understand something, too. Your rejection really hurt me. Even if I do forgive you, things can't go back to the way they were a few days ago."

Arden also nodded. "I know I messed up, Rain. I'm so, so sorry for hurting you. I promise that if you give me a chance, I'll make it up to you. I've learned my lesson, and I won't hurt you again."

Rain broke the nodding pattern and shook his head. "I don't think you understand, Arden. I've had a lot of time to think in the past few days, and I've gotten over you. I'm dating someone else now."

"Oh," Arden said. "Well, congratulations."

"We can still be friends," Rain insisted.

"Of course," Arden faked a smile. "Well, I should actually go. My mom needs help with the, um, you know, laundry and stuff. I'll see you at school."

Rain said goodbye, and Arden quickly headed for the door. She managed to hold back her tears until she was outside. She ran all the way home; glad she knew where she was going, because her tears were blinding her.

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**What? Who is Rain dating? (Guesses are welcome!) What will Arden do? Please read and review! :)**


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